Next generation lawyers

Find out which law firms are representing which Corporate and M&A clients in Malaysia using The Legal 500's new comprehensive database of law firm/client relationships. Instantly search over 925,000 relationships, including over 83,000 Fortune 500, 46,000 FTSE350 and 13,000 DAX 30 relationships globally. Access is free for in-house lawyers, and by subscription for law firms. For more information, contact david.burgess@legal500.com.

A ‚Äėleading name in corporate and M&A matters‚Äô, Christopher & Lee Ong is a member of the Rajah & Tann Asia Network. It provides ‚Äėone-stop-shop‚Äô services to an array of local and international clients to meet their needs in complex high-end cross-border transactions. It has acted for several publicly listed corporations in Malaysia on initial listings on stock exchanges, mandatory takeover offers and equity fund instructions. It is advising MM2 Asia on the acquisition of the business and assets of 13 cinema sites, plus an option for two additional ones in Terengganu and Sandakan from Lotus Fivestar Cinemas, with an aggregate value near RM118m, Kuok Yew Chen leads the advice. Yon See Ting and Kelvin Kho are acting for Valeo on its acquisition of Precico Electronics for the sum of RM132m. Other key practitioners include Christopher Lee, Lee Hock Chye, Yau Yee Ming and Por Chuei Ying.

Moy Pui Yee, an experienced lawyer in takeovers, M&A, joint ventures, foreign investment, real estate and corporate transactions, leads the corporate practice at Rahmat Lim & Partners. A team headed by Lim Teong Sit, Chen Lee Won and Ang Sinn E assisted GuocoLand Limited with its expansion to the UK and Australian markets via a proposed RM777m investment in EcoWorld International. It also acted for Hap Seng Land on its joint venture with TTDI KL Metropolis to form Golden Suncity, aimed at developing a 8.95 acre mixed commercial project that will form part of a major commercial plan development known as KL Metropolis valued at MR3.8bn. Chen Lee Won, Jocelyn Ang and Ho Wei Lih are the key contacts.

Shearn Delamore & Co fields one of the most established corporate teams in the country. The practice is commended for its ‚Äėresponse times, industry knowledge, appropriate advice, strength-in-depth, and value for money‚Äô. The team advised Sumitomo Rubber Industries on the Malaysian aspects of its acquisition of the trade mark rights of the DUNLOP brand, sporting goods and licensing business. It also assisted SunPower technology (together with Dentons Hong Kong and Jones Day) with the acquisition of a 50% stake in its joint venture company SunPower Malaysia Manufacturing from AU Optronics Singapore. The team is headed by Grace Yeoh; Ng Swee Kee is also noted for her work.

Skrine‚Äôs Theresa Chong leads the corporate practice. She is highly-regarded for her expertise in advising foreign corporations on setting up businesses in Malaysia, joint ventures, negotiating and drafting of corporate structures, and also on inbound/outbound investments. Janet Looi acted for Endurium Holding on the sale of Taylor-Wharton Malaysia to Air Water. Cheng Kee Check is also a key name in the team. Faizah Jamaludin has left the practice to join the judiciary. Other clients include Murphy Oil Corporation and Kulim.

Wong & Partners‚Äô Munir Abdul Aziz advised Ekuiti Nasional on the MYR2.8b sale of its indirect interest in Icon Offshore and Orkim Sdn to UMW Oil & Gas Corporation. The team also acted for CHAMP Private Equity on its approximately $100m acquisition of a 50% interest in the Containerchain Group via its CHAMP IV Fund. Head of practice Brian Chia led the advice to Zurich Insurance on its MYR525m acquisition of the equity interests in MAA Takaful Berhad from MAA Group Berhad and Solidarity Group Holding BSC. Managing partner Andre Gan is also recommended; he led the advice to McDonald's Corporation on the sale of its Malaysian subsidiary, Golden Arches Restaurants, to Saudi group Lionhorn.

At Abdullah Chan & Co, head of practice Vincent Chan together with Yap Hui Lu and Muthanna Abdullah are very active advising corporate clients from across a variety of industry sectors including aviation, biotechnology, energy, financial services and real estate. Its list of longstanding clients includes Sapura Group, Goldman Sachs, National Bank of Abu Dhabi and CIMB Group.

Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill‚Äôs corporate practice is ‚Äėtop level, punctual, professional and good value for money‚Äô according to one source. Highlights for the practice included acting for Reliance Holdings on the complex sale of the substantial and remaining stake in listed corporation Reliance Pacific in an RM200m operation, and advising Perusahaan Minyak Sawit Bintang and Yong Peng Realty (both subsidiaries of I&P Group) on the sale of business assets, including land, machinery, equipment and vehicles, to Sime Darby Plantation. Practice head Tay Weng Hwee and Ooi Bee Hong are key contacts.

Work highlights for Mah-Kamariyah & Philip Koh included advising IOI Properties Group on several instructions with an aggregate value of close to RM2bn, and assisting NCB Holdings with an unconditional takeover from MMC Port Holdings. Practice head Adrian Koh receives praise for his pragmatism and knowledge.

Shook Lin & Bok‚Äôs lawyers ‚Äėdeliver high-quality services and provide appropriate corporate advice‚Äô. Highlights included acting for a Japanese corporation on the acquisition and due diligence matters pertaining to the purchase of a polyethylene film production corporation for the sum of RM37.4m, and advised a Malaysian corporation on the application to be licensed by the Securities Commission as a peer-to-peer operator. Ivan Ho Yue Chan heads the team, ably assisted by Jalalullail Othman.

Led by Tan Wooi, Zaid Ibrahim & Co (a member of ZICO Law)‚Äôs corporate team advised Crowdo Malaysia on the establishment of a regulated crowd-funding platform, and also assisted Telenor Financial Services with its acquisition of Prabhu Money Transfer. Gilbert Gan is another key contact in the team, which is noted for ‚Äėhaving excellent response times and providing sound commercial solutions‚Äô.

Zain & Co‚Äô corporate lawyers ‚Äėcan understand clients‚Äô requirements, and are able to address issues and propose solutions in a practical and timely manner‚Äô. Highlights included acting for Permodalan Nasional on the acquisition of the entire issued and paid-up share capital in Syarikat Malacca Straits from Sime Darby Properties and two other corporations. Notable clients include Petroliam Nasional, Projek Lintasan, Mass Rapid Transit Corporation and EKUINAS. Practice head Salwah Abdul Shukor, Rebecca Jeyanthi Selvaraj and Pauline Ngiam are recommended.

Albar & Partners fields a ‚Äėsavvy‚Äô corporate team, which advises on corporate and security law, listing and de-listing of companies, M&A, reverse takeovers, joint ventures, venture capital, foreign direct investments, REIT issues, as well as corporate and debt restructurings. The practice advised Prestariang SKIN (and its ultimate holding company Prestariang Services) on all-related corporate matters connected to its concession agreement with the Government of Malaysia to revamp Malaysia‚Äôs national immigration under the Sistem Kawalan Imigresen Nasional (SKIN) project, in a deal with a matter value of close to RM3.5bn. Practice head Lily Tan and Natalie Peh Suan Wan are key contacts.

Azmi & Associates‚Äô highlights have included advising the shareholders of a food and beverage corporation on the sale of a 40% stake to a Japanese company and assisting Bemis Company with its $79m acquisition of SteriPack. Azmi Mohd Ali receives commendation for his work.

Cheang & Ariff is known for successfuly pairing regulatory knowledge with commercial acumen. The team advised MAA Group and Solidarity Group as sellers on the sale of the total equity interest in MAA Takaful to Zurich Insurance for the sum of RM525m. Tan Ming-Li and Yeat Soo Ching are noted.

Notable highlights for Chooi & Company‚Äôs corporate team included advising CJ Korea Express Corporation on its acquisition of a 30% interest in a publicly listed corporation in Bursa Malaysia, the work comprised regulatory advice, due diligence, pertinent applications before the authorities and general advice relating to corporate structure. The firm was also instructed by Australian corporation Continental AG to advise on the acquisition of the Vulcanite Group‚Äôs Malaysian subsidiary. Chooi Mun Sou leads the team, which also includes key contact David Ong.

The ‚Äėvery active corporate team‚Äô at Jeff Leong, Poon & Wong is regularly involved in big-ticket, cross-border transactions and works with close affiliates in Vietnam, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Mongolia and Indonesia. The group acted for Sime Darby Property (as the seller) on all corporate-matters connected to the sale of two pieces of land which required approval from the minority shareholders; the matter was particularly complex due to the nature of the corresponding registration titles, further complicated by the corporate governance restrictions applying to the seller‚Äôs majority shareholders. James Wong, Kenny Poon and Jeff Leong are all noteworthy practitioners.

Mohamed Ridza & Co‚Äôs team receives praise for its fast responses and industry knowledge. It advises on a wide variety of corporate, M&A and joint ventures transactions for local and international clients. Highlights included acting for Felda Global Ventures Holdings (as the seller) on a proposed sale of a 60% interest in FGV China Oils to Feiyada Global Agriculture (GuangDong), and drafting documentation for as well as providing strategic advice to a major construction company. Managing partner Mohamed Ridza Abdullah, practice head Sharifah Shafika Alsagoff, Hafidah Aman Hashim and Mohamad Nazran Basirun are all noted.

Murad Yee Partnership‚Äôs ‚Äėstrategic thinker‚Äô Yee Fook Weng is leading the advice to the owner and operator of a commercial property on a proposed divestment of its total stake, worth close to RM150m, in the property, while Kuay Ken Nye is acting for a corporation on the proposed sale of a significant minority stake in its money service business to a strategic investor for an approximate value of RM50m.

Naqiz & Partners has corporate expertise in matters relating to M&A, foreign direct investment in Malaysia, due diligence, venture capital and private equity and company formation. Khairul Ismail and Eliv Lau are assisting Nationwide Express Courier Services (NECSB) with its proposed exchange of all existing listed shares in the company for new shares in a new investment holding company; the operation has an approximate value of RM60m. The practice is also advising Bell Flavors & Fragances Malaysia on its proposed acquisition of Sillage Aromatique from Nardev Chemie.

Recent work for Peter Ling & van Geyzel has included advising OCK Group on its purchase of Southeast Asia Telecommunications Holdings for the sum of $50m and assisting Chin Hin Group with the acquisition of Mi Polymer Concrete Pipes in a RM35m operation. Marcus van Geyzel and Peter Ling are the key contacts.

Raja, Darryl & Loh is advising NYSE-listed Pentair on the Malaysian elements of the disposal of its valves and control business to Emerson Electric, in an operation with a global value of more than $3.15bn. The practice is also supporting German bio-technology, corporation Merck KGaA, with the Malaysian aspects of its integration with Sigma-Aldrich, following the latter‚Äôs acquisition by the former. Practice head Chew Phye Keat, Tai Chu Wei, Chan Kok Seng, Joyce Teh Yen Yen and Chong Mei Mei are recommended.

Boutique firm Sedgley & Co focuses on corporate and commercial law. Founding partner Iain Sedgley is renowned for his expertise in corporate, M&A and joint ventures. Sedgley and his team are providing a holding corporation and its group of companies legal support on several commercial ventures.

Tay & Partners works for a broad variety of clients in matters ranging from acquisitions and investments by private corporations to takeovers of publicly listed companies. It advised Spanish corporation ITASA Servicios Generales on its acquisition of 100% of the ordinary and preferential shares in Akronn Industries for approximately RM3m. Teo Wai Sum is the key name.

Wong Beh & Toh‚Äôs corporate group has vast experience in providing assistance to corporations from the agriculture, automotive, IT and real estate sectors. Wong Tat Chung, Yeap Lin Lin and Cynthia Toh are the names to note.

The ‚Äėexcellent and responsive‚Äô team at Zul Rafique & Partners provides ‚Äėaccurate and appropriate advice‚Äô. The ‚Äėimpressive‚Äô Jerry Ong is advising Matrix Reservoir‚Äôs shareholders on the proposed sale of a 51% controlling interest to Ahmad Zaki Resources for the sum of MR55m. The firm also advised Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited (BOCHK) on its acquisition of the entire issued share capital of Bank of China Malaysia from Bank of China Limited (BOCL) in an MR2.02bn operation.

Deol & Gill‚Äôs representative work highlights have included advising Edra Global Energy on the sale of its energy portfolio for the sum of RM9.8, and assisting Tenaga Nasional with the acquisition of a 70% stake in Jimah East Power. Suraj Singh Gill is the key name.

Donovan & Ho‚Äôs ‚Äėsmall but efficient‚Äô corporate team ‚Äėpunches above its weight‚Äô. It advises businesses and investors on M&A, shareholders agreements, terms of service, related-employee issues and general corporate matters. Clients include Farm to Fork (DMK), IsitUp Dotcom, and Axiata Digital Services. Shawn Ho and Donovan Cheah are the names to note.

HL Tan Lim & Partners‚Äô Ronald Tan and Jacqueline Lim acted for Eko Karya on the acquisition of Indonesian mining projects on the island of Sulawesi, and advised a Shanghai-listed company on the acquisition of a majority interest in a subsidiary of a Malaysia-listed company.

Highlights for Putri Norlisa Chair included advising Bose Corporation on the sale of its manufacturing and development operations in Penang to Flextronics International Europe, with Adrian Chair leading. Constance Low and Putri Norlisa Najib also receive recognition for their expertise.

Interview with...

Law firm partners and practice heads explain how their firms are adapting to clients' changing needs

Malaysian companies continue to make waves internationally by acquiring large
companies abroad. Leveraging on the European debt crisis and the weak dollar,
these companies have boldly made their mark on a global scale with impressive
deals. Cross-border acquisitions are increasing trend in the Asian economic hot
spots, with companies in China
and India
spearheading it. The consistently strong uptrend in foreign acquisitions and
the increasing success of the same by China
and India
for the past few years has spurred growing interests of Southeast Asian
companies to extend their reach to other continents.

Malaysian companies continue to make waves internationally by acquiring large
companies abroad. Leveraging on the European debt crisis and the weak dollar,
these companies have boldly made their mark on a global scale with impressive
deals. Cross-border acquisitions are increasing trend in the Asian economic hot
spots, with companies in China
and India
spearheading it. The consistently strong uptrend in foreign acquisitions and
the increasing success of the same by China
and India
for the past few years has spurred growing interests of Southeast Asian
companies to extend their reach to other continents.

PRESUMPTION OF GUILT ‚Äď REMEDY OR JEOPARDY? Netizens in Malaysia now share a common fear and feeling of uneasiness following the swift passing of the Evidence (Amendment) (No.2) Bill 2012 in May 2012, which amends the Evidence Act 1950.

Malaysia‚Äôs Felda Global Ventures Holdings Berhad (‚ÄúFGVH‚ÄĚ) is a global agricultural and agri-commodities company, with operations in ten countries across the globe. According to Frost & Sullivan Malaysia Sdn Bhd, FGVH is the third largest oil palm plantation operator in the world based on planted hectarage in 2011. FGVH currently operates 343,521 hectares of oil palm plantation estates in Malaysia that produced 5.2 million metric tonne of fresh oil palm fruit bunches in 2011.

Money Services Business Act 2011 (the ‚ÄúAct‚ÄĚ) is an act to provide for the licensing,
regulation and supervision of money services business. The Act defines money services
business as money-changing business, remittance business and whole sale currency
business.

Since 2010, Malaysia has been involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (‚ÄúTPP‚ÄĚ) talks along
with Australia, Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, United States and Vietnam. The
proposed partnership represents the latest multilateral free trade agreement that aims to
further liberalise the economies of the Asia-Pacific region.

(New York, NY ‚Äď Nov 27, 2017) Partner James J. Terry ¬†of leading construction law firm Zetlin & De Chiara LLP will be a featured
speaker at the Practicing Law Institute‚Äôs 19th Annual Commercial
Real Estate institute in New York on December 4 and 5, 2017.

In the recently published The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2018 , one of the legal industry‚Äôs most prominent guides to the legal market in Asia, Kim & Chang was the only Korean law firm to be top-ranked ("Tier 1") in all 16 practice areas surveyed.¬† Particularly noteworthy is the fact that our IP group was the only Tier 1-ranked practice to be recognized in the ‚ÄúIntellectual property ‚Äď Patents and Trademarks‚ÄĚ category.

On November 18, 2017, more than 40 Kim & Chang attorneys and K&C Friends (staff volunteers) of Kim & Chang Committee for Social Contribution volunteered in gimjang , a Korean tradition of preparing large quantities of kimchi for the winter.¬† Volunteers gathered early in the morning to learn how to do gimjang , and helped to make kimchi.¬† The kimchi prepared through this event was¬† donated to 100 foster care families supported by the Central Foster Care Family Center .

Kim & Chang was the only Korean law firm to receive ‚ÄúOutstanding,‚ÄĚ the highest possible ranking, across all 18 practice areas in the 22nd edition of Asialaw Profiles 2018 , a definitive guide to Asia-Pacific‚Äôs leading regional and domestic law firms.¬† Additionally, we were the only Korean firm to be awarded ‚ÄúOutstanding‚ÄĚ in the Financial Services Regulatory and Intellectual Property practice areas.¬†

On December 9, 2017, Kim & Chang attorneys and K&C Friends (staff volunteers) of Kim & Chang Committee for Social Contribution together with youth members of Deulggot Youth World, an organization dedicated to caring for and educating children in need, delivered coal briquettes to a jjokbang town in Seoul‚Äôs Yeongdeungpo District.¬† Jjokbang towns are low-income neighborhoods comprised of tenement housings with small rooms that barely accommodate one person.¬†¬†

In the recently published Representing Corporate Asia and Middle East Survey , an annual ranking survey published by Asian-MENA Counsel, Kim & Chang won "In-House Community Firm of the Year" in 14 categories.

On October 31, 2017, Kim & Chang Committee for Social Contribution hosted its second Multicultural Family Law Academy for 2017, a ‚Äúmobile‚ÄĚ legal service for multicultural families in Korea, in the City of Gyeongsan in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province.¬† The first session was held in the City of Gimje in Jeollabuk-do Province earlier in 2017.

SyCipLaw partner Arlene M. Maneja was a guest speaker on ‚ÄúRegulatory Framework for Renewable Energy‚ÄĚ at the Bioenergy Mission to the Philippines co-organized by the Embassy of Canada in Manila and the Philippine Department of Energy.